Ask Casey No. 8
Screen time rules in our house, the one habit that keeps everything running, and what surprised me most about writing a book
Welcome back to “Ask Casey,” one of my favorite series to write because I get to answer your thoughtful, funny, and very real questions. Truly, nothing is off-limits here.
These came straight from Instagram DMs and story replies, but if you have something you want me to answer next time, drop it in the comments. I always pull from there for the next round.
Are you strict about screen time? What does that look like in your house?
Over the years, we’ve realized that our kids’ behavior and attitudes are directly tied to screens. If we ever start the day with a movie or a show, it’s like we’re dealing with completely different children for the rest of the day. More meltdowns, harder transitions, just not our best vibe.
So yes, we’re pretty strict about it.
We really only watch TV in our living room, and it’s almost always something we do together as a family. They don’t watch a ton of shows, although we are a big Bluey household, which I fully stand behind. It’s so good!
The biggest game changer for us has been Friday family movie night. It used to be that they’d come home from school asking to watch something, and we were constantly saying no. Now it’s more like, “Yes, you can on Friday,” and they spend the whole week talking about what they want to pick.
It’s actually been really fun to watch because they’ve learned how to negotiate and compromise and come to an agreement together, which honestly might be the biggest win of all.
We also make it feel like an event. I’ll make popcorn (we use these bowls & this popper!), Finn will either do pizza on the Solo Stove, or we’ll throw in a frozen one, and we all pile onto the couch together. It’s such a nice way to end the week.
Because of that, we really don’t have the TV on during the week at all. Occasionally, we’ll do a Saturday or Sunday night movie, but we avoid turning it on during the day because the second it goes off, it tends to turn into a battle, and we’ve just learned it’s not worth it for us.
We also don’t do iPads. We have one very old family iPad that is strictly for travel, and we’ve basically told the kids it only works on airplanes, which they fully believe.
All of that said, zero judgment. Every family is different, every kid is different, and this is just what works for us right now. If they’re at a friend’s house or with grandparents and watching a movie, that’s totally fine! And if we have friends over, sometimes it turns into a kids’ movie marathon, so the adults can hang. It’s all about being flexible.
What’s one home habit that makes the biggest difference in your day-to-day life?
Doing laundry every single day has probably made the biggest difference in keeping our house feeling manageable.
I know that might sound like a lot, but for me, it’s actually the opposite. The alternative is letting it pile up, and then suddenly you’re staring at a mountain of laundry that takes over your entire day, and I just don’t operate well like that.
So instead, I keep it really simple and just aim for at least one load a day. I’ll usually start it during our nighttime routine, like during book time before bed, then toss it in the dryer before I go to sleep. In the morning, I’ll fold and put everything away while the kids are eating breakfast, and if more pops up during the day, which it always does, I just keep it moving as I go.
It never feels overwhelming because it never has the chance to get there.
We’ve also divided things up in a way that works for us. Laundry is my lane, Finn handles other things around the house, and there’s no back-and-forth or “whose turn is it?” It just gets done.
What’s something you’ve learned about your body in the past year?
I’ve learned that I’m way stronger than I thought.
This past year, I started taking a strength training class at my gym called The Pit, and it has completely changed how I see my body. It’s a one-hour class, and you actually have to get there early to grab one of the 12 spots, so I’ll bring my laptop, get some work done, and then head into class, which sounds like a lot but is totally worth it.
The class is mostly women, and they are so strong, which has honestly been really motivating. We rotate between squat racks, free weights, and cable machines, working in small groups, and you naturally start to push yourself based on the people around you.
I’ll see someone add more weight than I normally would and think, okay, maybe I try that too, and then I do and realize I can actually lift it!
That moment has happened over and over again, and it’s shifted something mentally for me. I’m not just working out anymore, I’m actually getting stronger, lifting heavier than I ever have, and leaving class feeling really capable.
I’ve also noticed a big change in my body composition since I started lifting heavy. It’s not about being smaller, it’s about feeling strong, solid, and confident in my body.
What are you outsourcing right now (and what do you still do yourself)?
I’ve gotten much better at outsourcing over the past few years, mostly because I’ve realized I just can’t do everything myself. Even though I’m technically a solopreneur, I have an incredible team of contractors behind me, and they’ve made such a difference in both my business and my day-to-day life.
Melinda, my assistant, handles all things links, shopping, collages, and product sourcing. She’s constantly looking for things to share across Instagram, Substack, and the blog, and she’s basically my shopping brain.
Molly, my brand manager, manages contracts, brand relationships, and all of the behind-the-scenes communication, which is huge.
Nikki, my video editor, takes everything I create and brings it to life. I still write and produce all of my content, but handing off the editing, music, and text has easily saved me ten hours a week.
And Nicole, my graphic designer, has completely elevated The DIY Playbook over the past five years. She creates templates, designs major pieces like the gift guide, and is doing a lot for my book right now.
And then there’s me, still doing all the things that only I can do, like being on camera, creating projects, writing, and shaping the overall voice and vision of the brand.
That’s really become my filter. If it has to be me, I keep it. If it doesn’t, I try to outsource it.
What has surprised you most about writing a book?
What surprised me most is how much work comes after you turn everything in. I wrote the manuscript, took all the photos, submitted everything in the fall, and in my head, I was thinking, okay, most of my job is done.
That was very much not the case.
The design process has been the biggest surprise for me, and honestly, not at all what I expected. In the book world, everything is very structured. A copy editor goes through your manuscript and essentially codes it, labeling what’s a heading, what’s body copy, what’s a callout box, and so on.
Then a designer creates a sample chapter, and from there, the rest of the book is built using that system.
What I thought would happen was that a designer would take my words and photos and thoughtfully design each page, similar to how I work with my graphic designer, Nicole, but that’s not really how it works in traditional publishing.
The designer isn’t moving things around freely or making creative changes to the content, they’re working within a template, so I’m the one who had to go back through the entire manuscript and decide exactly where every photo goes, how things should be laid out, and add notes about how I want it to feel.
That part was really surprising and definitely more time-consuming than I expected, especially because I’m used to having more flexibility with my content. With a book, things get locked in, and you can’t just tweak things endlessly.
That said, we’re getting there, and now that things are mostly locked, I can finally see the vision coming together, which has been really exciting.
That’s it for this edition of Ask Casey!
Have a question for the next one? Drop it in the comments below.
